


How Much is that Doggie in the Window?

by thenewlondoner (muleumpyo)



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 21:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9142504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muleumpyo/pseuds/thenewlondoner
Summary: It's Christmas season at Macy's and Tina is stressed and overworked. Puppies are not something she wants added to the chaos, but in the hands of an attractive veterinarian, they might be just what she needs.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Veto_power_over_clocks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veto_power_over_clocks/gifts).



> I wrote this for @veto_power_over_clocks and hope you enjoy this mini AU with manager!Tina and vet!Newt. I know it's not much but I hope you like it! <3 Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! <3

_How much is that doggie in the window?_

_The one with the waggly tail?_

_How much is that doggie in the window?_

_I do hope that doggie is for sale._

 

_How Much is that Doggie in the Window - Pattie Page_

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“The vet is here, Ms. Goldstein.”

 

Tina jerked her head up and looked in harried confusion at the salesgirl standing in front of her. There were papers all over the office, competing for space on her desk with the miniature Christmas trees, tinsel bunches, and statuettes of angels. “Sorry, what did you say Alice?”

 

The girl tilted her head and the bell at the end of her red velvet Santa hat tinkled. “The veterinarian. He’s here with the dogs.”

 

Tina looked around for a moment in confusion as if expecting to see dogs sitting in her office. “The dogs?” she repeated, her hands still on the typewriter.

 

Alice smiled and hopped closer to the desk, clearly excited. “The puppies! For the Christmas window display?”

 

“Oh!” Tina exclaimed and stood abruptly, nearly knocking over her chair. “Oh, right. I almost forgot. He’s here now?” She ran a hand through her hair, patting down the flyaway ends of her bob as she looked around her desk as if searching for something in the mess, but couldn’t seem to find it.

 

“Yep, he’s waiting downstairs with the dogs. Do you want me to tell him you’ll be down in a minute?”

 

“No, no, I’ll come right now. Have you seen my hat?” she asked, lifting up a pile of papers from her desk but finding nothing beneath it.

 

Alice turned and looked around the office, before reaching over and plucking up the hat from where it sat on top of a bust of R. H. Macy. “Here it is!”

 

Tina dropped the papers back onto her desk and came around to take the hat from the girl. “Thank you.” With a sigh, she pulled the hat carelessly onto her head, with the effect being her ears stuck out from underneath the white fur at its edge and her hair frizzed up slightly, despite her best efforts.

 

Alice reached up and jingled the bell at the end of the hat, trying to keep in her laughter at Tina’s less-than-thrilled face. “Alright, let’s go!”

 

They headed downstairs onto the main floor of the store, which was packed to overflowing with products and shoppers only two weeks before Christmas. Customers milled around the different counters, comparing prices and trying to quiet squealing children, and their voices almost drowned out the cheery Christmas tunes piped out of the speakers. Red-hatted workers moved quickly through the crowd, answering questions, wrapping presents and showing off products with a smile. Every surface was covered in tinsel or pine boughs or piles of fake snow, and there was a brilliant red poinsettia at every station, making the whole effect somewhat overwhelming. Despite that, Tina felt herself smiling. It was almost Christmas and everyone was doing so well.

 

“There he is!” Alice said, shaking Tina’s out of her contemplation. The girl disappeared into the crowd, winding her way expertly through groups of darkly-dressed customers, her bright red hat the only way Tina could follow her. She had no idea how Alice could see anyone else in this mess, but finally they both popped out at a relatively empty space near the edge of the sales floor where a man was standing, surrounded by dog carriers.

 

The man didn’t notice them at first, looking distractedly into the crowd of people, one hand resting on top of the nearest carrier. He was tall and almost gangly, as if his limbs were too long for his body, though he leant on the carrier with a curious sort of confidence. His red hair was mussed up and his blue coat still had traces of snow on the shoulders, as if he had just gotten in from outside.

 

“Mr. Scamander, is it?” Alice asked, and the man jumped and turned to look at her, blinking. “Mr. Scamander, this is my boss, Ms. Goldstein. She’ll be able to help you out with the puppies.” Alice’s voice turned up in excitement at the word _puppies_ , and a slight smile quirked the edge of Scamander’s lips.

 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Scamander,” Tina said, and he looked at her for a second with warm hazel eyes that made an unexpected blush spread over Tina’s face. Then he seemed to become embarrassed, and his gaze moved somewhere on her shoulder instead of on her face.

 

“Nice to meet you. You can call me Newt,” he said in a soft, British accent, and stuck out his hand for her to shake. She took it, surprised to find it so warm when the rest of him looked so cold, and gave it a firm shake. She very staunchly ignored the fact that his large hand enveloping hers made warmth spread up her arm and through her chest.

 

 _This is not the time for anything like that. Besides, Newt?_ Tina thought instead, trying to focus on anything else but the unexpectedly attractive man in front of her.

 

Newt seemed to take her silence as confusion, since he shrugged and answered her unasked question. “It's short for Newton,” he said, a smile crinkling his eyes and making Tina’s heart do a little leap in her chest.

 

“Well, you can call me Tina, then.”

 

 _It's short for Porpentina--_ she thought, but stopped herself before she could say it aloud. There were some things you didn't share the day you met someone, especially when that someone was an attractive man with dogs, which, she reminded herself, was why he was here. He was not here for them to look awkwardly at each other, he was here for work.

 

“I hear you’ve brought us some dogs for our windows,” Tina finally said, when it seemed that Newt wouldn’t talk and the silence was becoming a little too long. “Shall we start setting them up?”

 

Newt jumped a little, seemingly surprised. “Oh, yes. Yes, of course. If you’ll just show me where you’ve set up the display…”

 

“Right, follow me,” Tina said, trying to regain her professional briskness and led him across the crowded floor towards the bank of windows on the street side of the room. She was oddly conscious of the jingle of her Santa hat at every step, and she regretted whoever had made the decision to require them for the holiday season, but there was nothing she could do now. With a sigh, she lifted the curtain that closed off the window from the floor and stepped up onto the carpeted area.

 

Turning, she saw Newt still struggling through the crowd with the two big carriers under his arms. He was clearly having quite a time with it, offering apologies to customers who turned to glare at the source of the unexpected annoyance. One older woman, herself carrying a fluffy white dog in her arms, turned and started to loudly berate him, waving her free arm in emphasis. Across the room, Tina couldn't tell exactly what she was saying, but Newt ducked his head in awkward apology, just before the dog under the woman's arm clearly noticed what exactly he was carrying and started barking incessantly.

 

“Shoot,” Tina muttered under her breath, but before she could go over to help him, he had struggled free of the the older woman and made it to the edge of the floor where the crowd had thinned considerably. He looked harassed and his browned cheeks burned red under a fine dusting of freckles.

 

Tina bit her lip, feeling both guilty and endeared by Newt’s disarray. “Sorry, I didn’t think. Would you like some help with those?”

 

With a somewhat strained smile, he put one of the carriers up on the windowsill. “It’s fine, I do this all the time,” he said in a quiet voice. “Just put that behind the curtain, shall you?”

 

Tina frowned, feeling like she had made a mistake. With considerable effort, she took the surprisingly heavy animal carrier and heaved it on the carpet behind the curtain. A moment later, Newt had set the second carrier up there as well and with a step of his long legs, popped up to stand next to her. The heavy curtain swung closed behind them, muffling the sounds of the shoppers and throwing them into soft shadow.

 

Tina swallowed, suddenly self-conscious of the near-privacy and how close they stood, their shoulders nearly brushing. She shot a small look at him from the corner of her eye, wondering if she should move, but he didn’t appear to notice anything amiss.

 

“Alright, this looks good,” he said, surveying the scene in front of them. Warmth spread through Tina at the praise and she swung her gaze around to look at the display she and Queenie had set up.

 

A little corral of golden brown wood rounded the dark red carpet set before the window, and the area had been filled with blankets and chewable toys. In the far corner of the sill there was a small pine tree, trimmed with silver tinsel and set with gold ornaments that glowed even in the soft light coming through the blocked-off window. Though she didn't celebrate the holiday herself, Tina had to fight down a smile at the cozy image it all made.  

 

“Would you like to meet the dogs?” Newt asked.

 

“Of course!” Tina said, a little too excitedly. Her suddenly loud voice made her want to bury her face in her hands. She couldn't seem to get anything right.

 

Newt, however, didn't seem the least bit perturbed. He had knelt down to open the nearest carrier and from where she stood, Tina was arrested by the sight of his reddish hair as it curled softly at the nape of his neck and around his reddened ears. Something about it made her want to smile.  Embarrassed at herself for staring, she crouched down next to him just as Newt crooned into the carrier, “C’mere, girl, that’s right,” and motioned encouragingly with his hands.

 

A second later, he was pulling a dark brown and white beagle puppy out of the carrier. With one large hand, he cupped the puppy’s bottom and his other hand wrapped around its soft brown chest as he pulled it up into his arms.

 

“This is Helga,” Newt said. The beagle blinked up at Tina with big, sleepy eyes rimmed with dark brown, as if it had just woken from a long nap. Its pudgy legs curled over Newt’s fingers and Tina wanted nothing more than to reach over and touch its fuzzy paws.

 

“Hello, Helga,” Tina said quietly, unable to resist the urge to wave at her. A little smile quirked Newt’s mouth and she felt sure he was going to make fun of her for it, but he said nothing.

 

“She’s an English beagle mix, about three months old. She’s really very sweet, and will love anyone who gives her treats. She’s pretty well house trained already, so she shouldn’t give you any trouble there.” Newt gently kissed the top of the puppy’s head in a gesture that made something in Tina’s stomach flutter, and put her into the corral. Helga wandered around a moment, sniffing interestedly at the different toys, before she sat herself down on one of the blankets and looked up at them.

 

Tina smiled at Helga and put out a hand to pet her. The puppy sniffed at her fingers and then leant into the touch, her soft, warm head nuzzling happily into Tina’s hand.

 

From over her shoulder, Newt said, “And here’s Salazar.”

 

Tina turned, raising her eyebrows. “Salazar?” she asked, wondering who would ever name their dog _that_ , to see Newt holding a sleek, long-haired white dog with the darkest eyes. On top of its tiny head a ponytail had been gathered and set with a pink bow. Tina was only barely able to resist her urge to laugh at the image it presented. The puppy looked so serious and ready to snub anyone who looked at it the wrong way; it reminded Tina unavoidably of her boss, Ms. Picquery, who often had the same look on her face.

 

“One of the assistants named him, along with the others, something from a book he was reading.” Newt passed a hand down one of Salazar’s sleek ears and the dog closed his eyes, as though he were a king receiving a vassal’s expected gift. “He’s a Maltese, about three months as well.”

 

“He’s adorable,” Tina said, smiling at Salazar who looked back at her with an unimpressed expression, insofar as it was possible for a puppy to make one. “Does he like treats, too?”

 

Newt shrugged, rubbing his thumb across the puppy’s stomach until it looked up at him, decidedly more interested, and Newt looked back at him with affection clear in his warm eyes.

 

Tina’s gaze rose from the puppy to Newt’s browned cheeks scattered with freckles and down the curve of his jaw. In the soft, filtered light through the curtained window, everything about him seemed softened and cozy, as if inviting her to move closer, to touch.

 

Newt looked back up at her and she averted her gaze, somewhat embarrassed to have been caught staring.

 

For a second there was an unexpected pause, as if Newt had forgotten what to say. Then he continued in his soft, low voice, “Sometimes, if you get to know him. It can take some time, but once he's your friend, he's your friend for life.”

 

The words were delivered casually, but for a moment, it felt like Tina’s heart squeezed in her chest, and she was filled of a soft sort of wanting.

 

 _Sweet Lewis, an attractive man says something nice and you fall all over yourself,_ she berated herself. _Get yourself together,  girl._ Tina took a deep breath, shoving at the feeling until it lessened enough for her to look up again.

 

Newt was petting the Maltese’s head, his large hand almost enveloping it. She reached out to touch one of Salazar’s feet, but the puppy took no notice of her and licked Newt’s chin with a tiny pink tongue. He seemed fully devoted to Newt and Tina had to remind herself not to take it personally.

 

“Are you going to be staying with them while they’re up here?” he asked.

 

“Who, me?” Tina replied, taken aback. “I can check on them… but I'm the manager, and I can’t always be here.”

 

Newt put Salazar into the corral as well, where the puppy turned and looked back up at Newt as if saying, ‘You’re going to leave me _here?_ ”

 

Newt smiled kindly at Salazar. “That’s alright, they don’t need constant supervision. But you should check them every hour or so, see to their water and food and things like that.”

 

“I can get someone to do that,” Tina said, knowing by the end of the day today she’d be inundated with requests by all the employees to be put on puppy duty. And as Newt clucked his tongue entice a third puppy out, she looked at Helga and Salazar sitting together on one of the blankets and had a quick shoot of longing at how comfortable they looked together. Reaching out, she ran a slim finger over the top of Helga’s soft head as Salazar looked on in supposed disinterest. Tina wished she could stay there and rest with them instead of dealing with work.

 

“And this is Godric,” Newt said. Tina looked up to see his hands full of a German Shepherd puppy. Though Newt’s hands were large and had easily held all the previous puppies, Godric’s long legs spilled out of his grip and he wriggled, until Newt had to pull him back to hold against his chest to keep him from falling.

 

“Sweet Lewis, he has the biggest ears!” Tina said, delight at the puppy’s huge, fuzzy ears that stuck out out disproportionate head, making her laugh despite herself.

 

A full, answering smile spread over Newt’s face, though his perpetual embarrassment seemed to remain. “You can pet them, if you want,” he offered. “He looks fierce but he's a quite the sucker for attention.”

 

Entranced, Tina scooted forward until she was up close to the puppy and he looked up at her attentively. She softly touched the tip of one pointed ear with a finger. The furred ear was smooth and warm and golden brown like its big eyes. When she ran a thumb through the soft fur on the inside of its ear, the puppy shook its head and she laughed.

 

“He's adorable,” Tina said, running her hand over the puppy’s long snout and over the smooth, thick fur on the top of its head. Godric seemed to perk up at her words, as if he knew he was being spoken about.

 

“He's very susceptible to praise,” Newt said, deep voice closer than before. His hand appeared next to Tina’s as he stroked down the puppy’s back and for a moment their fingers brushed.

 

It was only then that Tina seemed to realize how close they were sitting. Their knees were almost touching as they both leaned in over the puppy, and when Tina looked up, the wavy fall of Newt’s hair touched her face.

 

Heart suddenly in her throat, Tina snatched her hand back from the puppy. Heat spread over her cheeks in a quick flush, as she looked down at Godric’s entreating expression, wanting to but unable to move back.

 

With one last stroke over his head, Newt put Godric into the corral with the rest of the dogs. The German Shepherd immediately walked over to the other dogs and sniffed at them intently, until Salazar growled lowly. Accepting the challenge, Godric jumped on him and the two went rolling over the carpet, Helga looking on sleepily from her pile of blankets.

 

“Will they be alright all together in here?” Tina asked, worried at how the two puppies jumped on each other, yipping in excitement. She wondered if she should separate them, though it looked like they were having fun “They won't get hurt?”

 

“Oh, no, they're great friends, really,” Newt said. “They're just very excited at the moment, as they've never been out of their . They'll calm down soon. Here, meet Rowena.”

 

Tina turned to see Newt holding what she thought was a black puff ball with big brown eyes. “She's a poodle,” Newt added, somewhat unnecessarily.

 

Rowena looked around in interest at her new surroundings, her quick black eyes taking everything in as if it were the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. Tina put out a hand towards her and Rowena looked at it, then sniffed excitedly at it, putting her cold nose under Tina’s fingers as if searching for some thing.

 

“Here, why don't you take a treat for her?” Newt asked, holding something out towards Tina. She took it from his warm fingers and held the treat towards Rowena, who sat up straighter and stared fixedly at it.

 

“We're already training her to follow commands,” Newt said and sat Rowena down on the carpet between them. Instead of immediately joining her companions, Rowena sat obediently and looked up at them, expectant.

 

Holding the treat above her nose, Tina smiled down at the puppy. “Good girl, Rowena,” she said, and gave the treat to her. The dog licked her fingers as if in thanks, then accepted a pet on the head.

 

“I'm rather jealous of you,” Tina said, her heart full of a soft contentment that was found few and far between at her work. The puppies rambled excitedly about together and Helga was already busy chewing on one of the badger shaped toys. As Tina ran a hand over Rowena’s soft head, she thought wistfully that if it were possible she could stay here all day, watching them play.

 

“You should come visit us sometime,” Newt said, his voice sincere. She turned and looked up at him, and he gave her a shy smile that filled her with warmth. Somehow, she wasn't sure how, he had brought a little peace and calm to her day and she was sad to think this might be the end of their acquaintance. “We always have plenty of animals and not always enough hands. If you're ever free, we would love to have you come by.”

 

Surprised, Tina couldn't help the big smile that spread across her face. “Sure, I'd love to.”

 

Newt blinked at her for a moment, then he seemed to become tongue-tied and made himself busy closing the carriers.

 

A little awkward herself, Tina stood up, unsure what to do with her hands. “Do you want me to take one of those for you?” she asked, and was grateful when Newt nodded.

 

She shot one last look at the puppies playing in the window as Newt hopped down from the windowsill.

 

“‘Bye,” she said softly, and turned to see Newt looking up at her. He offered his hand to her and she didn't hesitate to take it, that same feeling of happiness spreading through her when they touched, and she jumped to the floor beside him.

 

They gathered the carriers in silence and Tina led him through a less crowded route to the front doors. As they stepped out into the busy street, Tina looked up to see snow floating gently down towards them. It covered the normally terrible streets of New York with a sparkling white mantle. Under the glow of the setting sun and the electric street lamps, the city suddenly seemed

 

“Are you sure you'll be alright?” she asked as Newt took the other carrier from her and hefted it under one arm. “Do you need me to get a taxi for you?”

 

“I'll be alright,” he said, and for a moment they stood there in the snow, looking at each other. “We're not far from here, only a couple blocks. You can-- I mean, I can walk it.”

 

“Okay,” Tina said, rocking back on her heels as she searched for something more to say. She didn't want this to be the last time she saw Newt, but her mind had gone blank.

 

“We're open until 9 most days, and on Saturdays as well,” he said, and it sounded almost exactly like an invitation.

 

“I'll be sure to come by,” Tina replied as she thought of when her next free evening might be, and when she might see him again.

 

“I'll make a note of it,” he said, and the look he gave her made something bloom, hot and sweet and unexpected, as if he had put a coat around her shoulders.

 

The feeling didn't fade even as she headed back inside the store, and it was impossible to keep the smile off her face for the rest of the day.

  


 

 

THE END


End file.
